The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) faced a daunting infrastructure challenge in 2019. With nearly 9 percent of Missouri’s 24,494 bridges classified as structurally deficient, the state needed a cost-effective strategy to address the most critical failures along one of the nation’s busiest freight corridors. The answer came through a design-build approach on Interstate 44, where Construction Feasibility and Project Delivery Feasibility Studies Design principles guided the selection of Emery Sapp and Sons (ESS) to replace or rehabilitate 19 bridges across 30 miles of highway. The result was a project completed one month ahead of schedule and approximately $1.5 million under budget, demonstrating how thoughtful design-build execution can stretch public infrastructure dollars further.
The I-44 Project Bridge Rebuild: Scope and Significance
Interstate 44 is a vital national freight route, carrying more than 230 million tons of freight worth over $433 billion annually. More than 1.3 million jobs nationwide depend on this corridor through Missouri, and over 35 percent of through-freight originates from as far west as Arizona, California, and Texas. The existing bridges on this route were built as part of the original I-44 construction in the 1960s and had deteriorated significantly, requiring urgent intervention to keep them safe for travel.
According to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association, one in three bridges in the United States is structurally deficient, representing 178 million daily crossings on over 46,100 bridges. In this context, MoDOT’s I-44 Project Bridge Rebuild was both timely and necessary.
Innovative Scoring Criteria
Instead of simply awarding the contract to the lowest bidder, MoDOT developed a scoring system that prioritized bridges in the worst condition. Greg Chapman, southwest district construction and materials engineer at MoDOT, explained that the department offered up 31 bridges for consideration within the project limits but had only $31.1 million available. The scoring criteria allocated the highest points for addressing the poorest-condition bridges, directing design-build teams to focus where the need was greatest.
Ten of the bridges identified for repair were already in poor condition, while nine others were on the verge of being classified as poor. This data-driven prioritization ensured every dollar addressed the most critical safety risks first.
Project Parameters at a Glance
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Contract award date | April 2019 |
| Design and construction budget | $31,100,000 |
| Total programmed amount | $36,100,000 |
| Bridges replaced | 13 |
| Bridges rehabilitated | 6 |
| Project length | 30 miles (Sarcoxie to Halltown) |
| Original deadline | December 15, 2020 |
| Actual completion | November 15, 2020 |
| Anticipated savings | Approximately $1.5 million |
The project also benefited from thoughtful Architectural Design and Building Envelope Design Process Envelope considerations, particularly where structure clearances and roadway geometry required innovative solutions.
Design-Build Innovation and Traffic Management Strategies
A project of this scale spanning multiple seasons inevitably encounters problems, but ESS rose to each challenge through careful coordination and innovative traffic management. The most prominent example was the deployment of the largest smart work zone ever implemented in the state of Missouri.
The Largest Smart Work Zone in Missouri
ESS deployed 36 electronic message boards strategically placed along the entire 30-mile length of the project. These boards stretched from west of Joplin to east of Springfield, alerting motorists well in advance about delays. The system was especially valuable during major travel holidays and weekends, when I-44 carries heavy traffic to tourist destinations and college towns.
Key features of the smart work zone included:
- Dynamic message boards with real-time delay information that helped routine travelers find faster alternate routes
- Cameras accessible to the Missouri Highway Patrol for rapid incident identification and response
- Segmented traffic control setups that allowed multiple bridges to be bundled under one configuration, maximizing efficiency and minimizing driver impact
Jeremy Bexten, project manager at ESS, noted that maintaining traffic flow was one of the toughest aspects of the job given the volume of large trucks traveling the route at all hours. Working closely with MoDOT and the Highway Patrol, the team successfully minimized traffic impacts despite I-44 being one of the busiest roads in the state and the largest freight corridor.
This integrated approach to traffic management aligns with practices outlined in How California Design Build Authorization Changes Infrastructure Project delivery frameworks, where contractor-led coordination with enforcement agencies and transportation departments is essential for project success.
Overcoming Site Challenges on Route 96
While most of the project involved bridge replacements with minimal grade and pavement changes, the Route 96 location in Halltown presented a unique set of challenges that tested the full capabilities of the ESS team. This section demonstrated the value of design-build flexibility in solving unexpected site conditions.
The Corrugated Steel Arch Innovation
One of the major innovations on the job was the use of a corrugated steel arch in place of replacing four bridges. This single decision removed four future maintenance issues from MoDOT’s list and reduced construction costs. The lifespan of these steel arch structures is expected to exceed that of standard bridges in these locations.
However, the installation posed several problems. The existing roadway at Route 96 sits on a curve with a non-traditional ramp layout that creates confusion and slows traffic. Because of the interstate curve, ESS could not raise the grade of I-44 to create the clearance needed for the arch. Instead, they decided to lower Route 96 itself.
Blasting and Water Table Complications
Lowering Route 96 turned into a major challenge. The crew encountered solid rock about three feet above the elevation they needed to reach. ESS brought in a blasting subcontractor to loosen the rock, which was completed in May. After blasting, the team discovered the area had a very high water table and was forced to pump water almost non-stop until the arch construction was complete.
The sequence of work at Route 96 followed this order:
- Excavation and removal of existing pavement
- Blasting to break up solid rock below grade
- Continuous water pumping during arch construction
- Keying the arch footings into rock for structural stability
- Arch construction followed by backfilling and asphalt paving through the arch
- Concrete paving over the arch to provide extra support where backfill was thinner than normal
The arch construction itself, which was supposed to be the hardest part of this location, actually went very smoothly. The paving underneath the arch, however, posed its own constraints. Dump trucks could not raise their beds completely inside the arch, so the crew could typically dump only about three-quarters of each load at the paver, with the remainder needing to be packed in manually.
ESS used a pavement design of 9 inches of asphalt on 4 inches of base for a total tonnage of 2,100 tons. The team worked six to seven days a week through August and September to fast-track construction and recover schedule time lost to the under-pavement problems encountered at this location.
Lessons for Large-Scale Design-Build Infrastructure Projects
The I-44 Project Bridge Rebuild offers several takeaways for construction professionals involved in design-build delivery. MoDOT and ESS both credited the project’s success to team-level communication, shared goals, and the willingness to adapt when site conditions diverged from expectations.
The Self-Performance Advantage
ESS self-performed nearly 75 percent of the work on this project, including excavation, grading, bridge construction, and asphalt paving. This high level of self-performance gave ESS direct control over schedules and quality. When the asphalt paving division encountered delays at Route 96, the company could mobilize its own crews to fast-track construction without waiting for subcontractor availability. The ability to self-perform asphalt work was particularly valuable in recovering time lost to the rock blasting and water table issues.
Key Success Factors
MoDOT’s Greg Chapman identified several elements that contributed to the project’s success:
- Establishing team goals at the outset and ensuring all decisions were based on those shared objectives
- Creating a true partnership between the owner and contractor rather than an adversarial relationship
- Maintaining high levels of communication to resolve issues quickly and keep all team members informed
- Conducting consistent schedule discussions to ensure the project stayed on track for the traveling public
These best practices align closely with the principles outlined in 10 Design Build Best Practices for Construction Project frameworks, which emphasize early collaboration, risk allocation, and transparent communication as foundations for successful design-build delivery.
Preparing for Unknowns
Bexten offered direct advice for contractors considering design-build work: do not underestimate the unknowns. When a contractor assumes the design risk, they must be prepared for anything. The ESS team encountered water and rock where geological surveys suggested neither should exist. In one area, piling was expected to hit rock at about 30 feet but instead went over 100 feet before reaching refusal. The project also faced railroad delays, COVID-19 related shutdowns, flooding, and snow.
A project that spans multiple years and several seasons will expose a team to nearly every challenge the construction industry can offer. The key is building a team and a contractual framework flexible enough to respond.
ESS Investing in the Future
Founded in 1972, ESS is a 100 percent employee-owned multi-faceted contractor specializing in complex heavy civil projects. The company has grown to more than 1,400 employee-owners with expertise in excavation, grading, underground utilities, bridge construction, and asphalt and concrete paving. In 2019, ESS doubled in size by adding three civil construction partner companies: Hutchens Construction of Cassville, Missouri; Achen-Gardner Construction of Chandler, Arizona; and Premier Testing Laboratories. This expansion strengthened ESS’s commitment to asphalt paving capabilities for years to come.
The I-44 Project Bridge Rebuild stands as a model for how design-build delivery can maximize the impact of limited infrastructure funding. By prioritizing the most deficient bridges, deploying innovative traffic management technology, and building a collaborative team culture, MoDOT and ESS delivered a project that improved safety on a critical national freight corridor while saving taxpayer money and completing the work ahead of schedule.